Biscotti are made for dipping – and why not dip them in chocolate? I admit the thought of Paleolithic Chocolate Biscotti seems over-the-top decadent. When you taste them you’ll forget about all that! It took several tests to get them to stay together, since these are gluten-free. They’re very delicate, so take care in cutting them. Even though they seem like they’re going to fall apart completely, they will adhere in the second baking and you will have true biscotti.
The word Biscotti comes from the Latin word biscoctus meaning twice-baked. Bis means twice. (It also means “Encore” when yelled in an Italian theater, a word that is music to my ears as an opera singer.) Coctus means cooked. It made its way through old French bescuit to England as biscuit. And everybody knows authentic Italian biscotti are always twice-baked. You’ll need a food processor. This recipe makes about 30 biscotti. For even more yummy Paleo Desserts, check out my book at PaleoDesserts.com!
Ingredients
- 1 Recipe Paleo Chocolate Sauce.
- 1/2 cup nuts, soaked and crisped if possible. (See All About Nuts.)
- 1 1/2 cups Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener, or 1/4 cup PureLo Lo Han Sweetener by Swanson, or 1 cup raw honey, or your favorite sweetener.
- 1 2/3 cups (220 g) almond meal or flour
- 1 cup arrowroot powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon unprocessed salt
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast (optional buttery flavor)
- 3 large eggs (they should weigh 165 g out of the shell) at room temperature (See The Best Eggs are Pasture-raised Organic)
- 1 teaspoon guar gum (optional, for slightly less crumbling)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Zest of 1/2 lemon or orange, or more if desired
- 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground anise seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Chop the nuts coarsely in the food processor or by hand, and set aside.
- In a dry food processor fitted with the “S” blade, grind the sweetener to a very fine powder.
- Add the almond meal, arrow root, baking powder, salt, and nutritional yeast (if using). Spin it for a minute to a very fine powder. Open the lid, stir the bottom, replace the lid, and grind again until the powder is uniformly fine.
- To the dry ingredients in the food processor, add the eggs, guar gum – if using, vanilla, orange zest, almond extract (if using) and/or anise seeds (if using). Pulse the nuts in briefly so they’re evenly distributed but not mush.
- Coat your hands with a bit of coconut oil. Remove the dough from the food processor. Divide it into two equal parts and place on the baking sheets. Shape each piece into a rectangular log about 10 inches long, 2 inches wide, and 1 inch thick at the thickest point. Bake for 20 minutes. If they begin to crack, remove from oven before they crack deeply. Let cool for 20 - 30 minutes in the pan on a rack.
- With a sharp knife on a cutting board, carefully slice each log diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick biscotti or a bit thicker. Place each piece flat on its side on the baking sheets.
- Bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 325°F. Turn over each slice and bake for 15 additional minutes, until slightly golden brown on the top. Transfer to a wire rack or a plate to cool.
- Prepare Paleo Chocolate Sauce. Adjust the thickness of the sauce if necessary (per the recipe) so it's not too globby, easy to dip, but thick enough to adhere to the biscotti. When the biscotti are completely cool, dip each one into the chocolate sauce, so that the top inch or two of the biscotti are covered. Allow each one to drip back into the blender, and place onto a parchment-covered plate. Enjoy! Store in an airtight container.
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